


The Ballad of Luna Tic

by SioDymph



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Drag Queens, Multi, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Period-Typical Homophobia, Rating May Change, Series of One Shots, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, ballroom culture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-03 18:54:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,075
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24880396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SioDymph/pseuds/SioDymph
Summary: Bruce Wayne has worn many different masks over the years. Batman, Brucie, Matches…But none were quite like Luna Tic.
Relationships: Joker (DCU)/Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle/Bruce Wayne
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	The Ballad of Luna Tic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You might be wondering why this exists. Well I'll tell you why, it's because for several months now I have not able to get the idea of Batman doing drag out of my head. So I created this alter-ego for Bruce; Luna Tic.
> 
> For now, I think this will be a series of one-off little stories about Luna and their misadventures. Hope you enjoy!
> 
> ((Also if you have any critiques, questions or suggestions please let me know! I'm always open to criticism and discussion.))

It all started long ago.

Before Dick or any of his children were in the picture.

Even before he left Gotham to begin his real training.

Back when he was just a kid in college, trying to figure out how he could fix Gotham.

Back when the Bat was just an idea slowly beginning to take form…

It all began when Selina asked him for a favor.

She needed to do some snooping and wanted Bruce to be her second pair of eyes. The only problem was the subject she was hired to spy on spent most of his time at “ _The Emerald_ ” a gay nightclub in downtown Gotham. Getting in would be easy enough for Selina, she used her fake id so often she knew her fake birthday better than her real one, but Bruce was an entirely different story.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t the kind of place Bruce Wayne could ever safely show himself. Not with half of Gotham knowing his face. And especially not with Wayne Enterprise’s Board of Trustees breathing down his back. For several years now they had been waiting for any excuse, any evidence they could use to kick Bruce Wayne out of his own company. If word got out that Bruce Wayne was spotted in a gay club, it would be over. And all of his hard-work trying to win his Father’s company back would be for nothing.

So if Bruce was going to help Selina, he’d have to do it under a fool-proof disguise. He’d have to transform into an entirely different person.

He’d begun trying to sketch out different disguises. Different men who not only would likely enjoy going to the Emerald, but would also have a 0% chance of resembling Bruce in any way.

Looking over his many sketches, Selina teased “Why don’t you just go in drag?”

At first it had been a joke. But the more Bruce thought about it, the more drawn he felt to the idea. He couldn’t quite explain why. Sure he was curious, he’d never done drag before, but there was also something else there. Something alluring…

And before Bruce knew it, he found himself sketching out a costume. Something dark, bold and full of dramatics. Not unlike the strange sketches of demons and leather-clad batmen scattered throughout his sketchbooks. But this would be different. It wouldn’t be as serious, or even scary. Whoever this drag character would be, Bruce wanted them to be fun. As he drew, visions of Goth girls dancing in nightclubs filled his head and he quickly became inspired.

Soon enough, Bruce designed a dress he felt confident enough to bring into reality. He’d done a little research on Drag and theater costumes to learn how to create a dress that not only would fit him, but also make any padding he used look natural. Or at least more natural than stuffing a bra full of tissue paper.

Bruce had always loved sewing and making outfits so the dress wasn't too hard to make. The dress would be a sleeveless, turtleneck black dress. It was rather plain so any loud, chunky accessories he could add to the look would make it more fun. But more importantly it would all help distract from Bruce’s face. He ended up settling on a pair of lenseless, neon green glasses and bunch of loud, colorful bracelets, so many that they encircled both his forearms like Technicolor gauntlets. And those, paired with some neon fishnet stockings and leather boots completed Bruce’s outfit.

The hardest part was doing the makeup and styling the wig. He ended up needing Selina’s help with all that. He did his best to listen as Selina gave him a direction on how to safely style a wig, making mental notes of all the products she used. And he had to force himself to sit patiently as Selina painted his face with heavy foundation, eye liner and lipstick. All the while Bruce had to fight the urge to touch his face in any way. The hardest was the thick, fake eyelashes. Selina almost slapped Bruce because he kept blinking while she tried to glue those on.

But in the end, somehow, they made it work. Selina had to help slick back his hair into a wig cap and put on his newly styled wig. Bruce felt the long black trusses tickling his back. That certainly was an odd feeling to experience for the first time, but he quickly got use to the extra weight on his head and phantom-feeling on his back.

And when Selina finally handed him a mirror, Bruce found himself staring at a stranger.

“So,” Selina said, leaning over Bruce so she could get a good look at his face. “What do you think?”

Bruce was speechless. It wasn’t exactly the person Bruce had been sketching in his book. Then again, Bruce had yet to perfectly recreate any of his drawings in real life. But it definitely wasn’t Bruce Wayne staring back at him.

When he finally did speak, he couldn’t help but cringe a little. It seemed to break the illusion hearing his normal voice coming from such a different face. “It’s really… It’s very… different?”

“Different-good? Or Different-bad?” Selina asked with a raised eyebrow.

Bruce looked a little longer. Shifting his face left and right, marveling at Selina’s handy work. The contouring she did made his face look more feminine, softer, and the way she’d done his eyes and lips seemed to make him look sweeter too.

This new face actually reminded Bruce of some of the girls he’d see with Selina in arcades late at night, trying to beat their high score on Dance Dance Revolution, dancing the night away. For a moment he tried to imagine himself doing something like that. Being able to dance around, carefree. It’d been years since any described Bruce Wayne as “carefree”. Not since he was a young child…

Smiling, Bruce knew his answer.

“Different as in good.”

“Good,” Selina agreed with a smile before adding, “Cause we just wasted two and a half hours dolling you up. And I was not about to start all over from scratch.”

As she mentioned that, it fully dawned on Bruce just how much she had helped him. “Selina, really. Thank you so much! This is, it’s all so-”

“Yeah, yeah, save it B-man.” Selina said, waving a hand. She never really liked getting too much positive attention. “Now come on! We got an Emerald to crash.”

At the Emerald, Bruce truly felt like he and Selina had stumbled into another world. Just as the named suggested the club was wall-to-wall green paint and lights. But it was so much more than that. They had gone to nightclubs before, but most of the people he’d seen there had been so heteronormative. But here in the Emerald, people could look however they wanted, dance with whoever they wanted to, dance however they felt like. Bruce found himself almost mystified by it all.

At least before Selina reminded them they were there on a mission.

Together they got to work, silently tracking down Selina’s target and keeping at least two eyes on him all night. Making notes of who he talked to, where he went throughout the club. At one point he and several women went into a vip lounge to talk in private. Curtains were drawn, effectively blocking them out from the rest of the club.

Selina pulled Bruce close so he could hear her over all the loud music. “I’m going in for a closer look!” Selina had to shout. “Keep yourself busy! If I’m not back in 15 minutes, wait longer!”

And with that, Selina was gone. And Bruce found himself alone without his tether. Looking around the club, he couldn’t help but feel a little lost without Selina. He was so far out of his element now.

Before he could get too overwhelmed by the music and crowds though, he heard a voice calling out to him. “Hey honey, you lost?”

Turning, Bruce found two other drag queens around his age walking his way. One of the queens, who was wearing all-black head-to-toe, repeated herself. “Yeah you, Cyberchick! Are you lost sweety?”

“No, not really.” Bruce said quickly. “I just, uhhh, I’m waiting for my friend to get back from the bathroom.”

“Wait so you’re all alone?” The other queen, wearing all pink and gold, asked. “You wanna hang out with us while you wait for your friend?”

“I mean, um” Bruce really wasn’t too sure. On one hand he thought the safest idea would be to wait for Selina at the exact spot she left him. But on the other hand, this was a nightclub, and standing alone in one spot was bound to look odd. Plus these two ladies seemed pretty sweet. It reminded Bruce of how he’d often invite shy-looking strangers to join his group of friends when he’d go out to a club.

And now he’d become the shy-stranger, alone at the club.

He was still a little nervous, but Bruce decided to go against his better nature and replied, “Uhh, yeah! Sure!”

That seemed to be the right answer as both ladies cheered. And pushing Bruce through the dancing crowds, they brought him over to a table near the bar.

“So, you got a name, honey?” The girl in black asked.

Bruce didn’t want to answer that right away, mostly because he didn’t want to give anyone his real name. So instead he tried to smile coyly. “I could ask you both the same thing.”

“Oh right, shit, ok where are my manners-”

“You have to forgive this one,” The girl in pink teased. “She was raised in Narrows, by wolves, in a dumpster.”

“Fuck you!” The girl in black said back with a laugh. “Anyways, I’m Nevermore and this disrespectful little bitch is my best friend, Helena Troy.”

Bruce was a little taken back by how much the two Queens swore and insulted one another. Usually his friends only acted like that when they were angry, and Alfred only resorted to swearing when he was absolutely livid. So hearing the two swear so easily while laughing threw Bruce for a loop. “Well, I’m pleased to meet you both.”

“So what about you!” Nevermore asked. “What’s your handle?”

Bruce looked between Never and Helena and couldn’t help but once again feel a little lost. “Umm, I haven’t really thought of a name yet.”

Looking both shocked and oddly-delighted, Helena gasped and asked. “Wait! Is this your first night out!?”

Bruce’s lack of immediate answer seemed to speak volumes to both girls, who only seemed to get more excited.

“Oh my goodness, you’re in for such a treat!” Helena cheered.

“Well, first thing’s first, we gotta give you a name.” Nevermore said. “Unless you want us calling you Cyberchick all night, or you-know, use your real name or whatever.”

“It can be a real-life name you like, a reference, a pun, or even just a name that sounds nice, anything you like.” Helena explained. “Personally I always love a good pun-name, like Rigga Morris or Sera Bellum.”

“So, any names come to mind? We can let you know if it sounds good.” Never offered.

Bruce took a moment to think it over.

If he was going to choose a drag name he wanted it to be right. And while he knew it was a risky move, for some reason he thought it should be a name with personal meaning to him. For a moment he was tempted to use the name “Martha” but quickly scrapped the idea. That just felt wrong.

He decided to take Helena’s advice and think of pun-like names. Something that could sound almost like a real name but have a joke hidden in. Something he could relate to and call his own.

For a moment as he thought it dawned on him how ridiculous this all must seem. Gotham’s Prince, their very own billionaire brat, dressed in drag, in a gay bar, worrying over his stage name. If any of the Wayne Enterprise Board Members saw this they’d call him a deviant. They’d call him crazy. They probably have him declared insane and thrown in Arkham…

Then all at once, Bruce knew what his name should be.

“You know… I think I like Luna.”

“Aw that sounds pretty-” Never replied.

“Luna Tic!”

And just like that, Luna was born.


End file.
